Blu-ray release from BFI for the first Black British full-length feature film titled Pressure (1976).
Directed by Sir Horace Ove, Pressure is designated as the first full-length black British film when released in 1975.
Written by Ove and fellow Trinidadian native, Sam Selvon; Pressure tells the story of Tony (Herbert Norville), a bright student who has recently left school and struggling to find employment in Britain. He lives above his father’s building supply shop with his parents who are unapologetic church-going souls and his older brother who has embraced the militancy of the Black Power movement.
Shot with a keen documentary style at times living and breathing the streets of inner London; Pressure is a significant title in the history of British cinema.
The film remains startlingly relevant as ever with themes of institutionalised racism and discrimination across a wealth of social interactions. One humorous remark is during Tony’s first interview, the white manager is aghast when Tony says he does not like cricket, therefore knocking the supposed stereotype of all Caribbean males liking the sound of ball on willow.
Originally funded by the BFI Production Board and heralded as the first full-length Black British film, Sir Horace Ové’s masterpiece was recently restored in 4K by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, with additional thanks to the BFI Philanthropy ‘Pioneers of Black British Filmmaking consortium’.
Special features include:
- Audio commentary with producer Robert Buckler and actor Herbert Norville, moderated by Marc David Jacobs
- Baldwin’s N***** (1969, 45 mins): Ové’s striking portrait of the writer James Baldwin
- Horace Ové on Pressure (2005, 36 mins): the director discusses his landmark film
- Pressure Q&A (2023, 17 mins): academic Dr Clive Nwonka, actor Herbert Norville, producer Annabelle Alcazar, writer Caryl Phillips and filmmaker Rhea Storr discuss Pressure onstage at BFI Southbank
- Horace Ové: Reflecting the People – A Career Retrospective (2023, 58 mins): producers Annabelle Alcazar, Peter Ansorge, Tara Prem and Marcus Ryder discuss the life, work and legacy of Horace Ové at BFI Southbank
- Ten Bob in Winter (1963, 12 mins): Lloyd Rekord’s classic of Black British cinema about social dynamics
- Jemima + Johnny (1966, 30 mins): Lionel Ngakane’s short film about the friendship between a white boy and a Black girl
- Restoration trailer (2023)
- Illustrated booklet featuring new writing by the BFI’s Arike Oke plus contributions from Zac Ové and Kevin Le Gendre
Pressure is out from the BFI on Blu-ray from 14th September.
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